Page 31 of Love in Fine Print

“Who? Darius?”

“Trevor.”

“Trevor, the guy who was at the park with you?”

She nodded. “He filled out my profile.”

“He filled out your profile.” I repeated.

“He’s my assistant, executive assistant, but he likes to think he’s also my life coach.”

“Trevor filled out your profile,” I clarified as I pulled it up to see what might have caused the algorithm to match her with Darius Craig.

“Yes.”

“It says here you want a man who takes control in every situation, someone who holds the door for you then smacks your ass as you walk through it.” I read what was in her bio.

I watched as the flush on her cheeks deepened to lobster red. I had a flash in my head of holding open the door for her and then slapping her ass. The intrusive thought was in my head before I could do anything about it.

“What else does it say?” she inquired.

I shifted the computer, turning it so she could read the entire thing, which included that she was a boss in the streets and afreak in the sheets. Her eyes scanned the entire screen before she sat back in her chair and took a deep breath in through her nose.

She didn’t just look embarrassed, she looked upset. I got the sense that this matchmaking meant a lot to her, and Trevor had just fucked it up.

“Are you serious about finding someone?” I asked.

She nodded. “Yes. But not like this. This was a mistake. I’m sorry I wasted your time.”

She stood to leave, and panic rose in me. I wasn’t sure if it was because I was about to lose a client I desperately needed, or because I’d seen a glimpse of her vulnerability and the thought of sending her out into the wild-west world of dating did something to me.

From the moment I’d met her, I’d felt protective of her, responsible for her. Actually, I’d felt a lot more than just responsible, but I was trying to ignore those feelings.

“Wait. Just wait.” I stood. “Please give me one more chance. Please.”

Her eyes narrowed and she took a breath. “Why?”

“Because I think that I can find someone for you. I at least want to try.”

“Why?” she asked.

“Because, ifyoufill out your own profile, then I think the syste?—"

“No, why are you doingthis?” She waved her hand around like a spokesmodel. “Do you even like matchmaking? I looked into Ever After, several companies have shown interest in buying it. No offense, but you are clearly out of your element. Why not just sell?”

I took a deep breath. I don’t know what I had planned on saying, but when I opened my mouth, a lot more than I wanted to reveal came pouring out. “My grandma was very important to me. My mom wasn’t really in the picture and my dad well…he worked a lot.” Worked, womanized, and drank a lot. “Gran was the only real parental figure I had growing up. I spent a lot of time here, but I never had any interest in the business. When I was younger, I didn’t even really understand what it was. We never talked about me taking it over, but when Gran died, she left me this. She asked me to run it for eighteen months. Then, if it didn’t work, I could close the doors. But I know I don’t know what I’m doing, and I’m single, so that’s a problem?—”

“Why is that a problem?”

“I don’t know. My neighbor, Miss B, she was my grandma’s best friend, she seems to think that no one will take me seriously if I’m not in a relationship. She also thinks that if women know I’m single, they’ll want to date me, which I thought was ridiculous but is actually turning out to be an issue. A big issue. And it’s not just women; some men feel like I’m their competition.

“I don’t even know why I’m telling you this. None of it matters, and none of it is your problem.” I took a breath. “Look, you don’t owe me anything, but it would help me out a lot if you’d give me one more chance. I really want to give this everything I can for my Gran. I don’t want to let her down. Please, just give me one more chance to find someone for you. Please.”

Olivia’s expression never changed. She kept staring at me with a penetrating gaze. I felt exposed and raw, but I tried not to let her scrutiny shake me. I wasn’t sure if I felt so raw because I’d blurted out very personal information or if Olivia actually possessed some sort of emotional x-ray vision, but whatever the reason, I felt like she could see inside my soul.

Finally, she said, “Because if you can find the Maneater her happily-ever-after, that would be good for business.”

“Yes, it would. But that’s not the only reason I want to help. You clearly want to find someone, whatever your reasons are.And I have an entire database filled with eligible men. Dating is hard. I’d really like to help you; you don’t have to do this alone.”

---